1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of continuously casting and finish-rolling a cast slab within a predetermined finished width tolerance, wherein for the cast slab and any subsequent slab an adjustment of the mold position is carried out particularly in accordance with different rolling conditions.
2. Description of the Related Art
The technology of casting thin slabs which has been used to great advantage makes possible the continuous casting with continuous casting sizes of between about 30 and 100 mm thickness and 800 to 2,200 mm width, and a preferably direct rolling in a rolling train with deformation work which is significantly reduced as compared to conventional production methods, wherein the length of the production chain from the crude steel to the rolled product is significantly reduced.
In this technology, increasingly higher demands are made of the width tolerances to be maintained in the finished product.
It is generally known in the art to equip slab molds for adjusting a predetermined slab size with adjustable long side walls and/or short side walls and corresponding mechanical or hydraulic adjusting units.
This prior art technology is disclosed in European application 0 149 734. This European application shows a mold for continuously casting thin slabs with cooled long side walls and short side walls, wherein the long side walls form a funnel-shaped pouring area which is limited to only a portion of the height of the mold, wherein the pouring area is reduced toward the short sides and in the casting direction to the sides of the cast slab. The long side walls extend laterally of the funnel-shaped pouring area parallel to each other and at a distance corresponding to the slab thickness up to the respective short side wall so as to form a parallel area starting at the pouring area. The short side walls are adjustable in the parallel area of the long side walls. The adjustment of, for example, the width of thin slabs is also known from DE 35 01 422 C2.